Two of Severn Trent’s senior leadership team, Sarah Bentley, Chief Customer Officer, and Jane Simpson, Head of Asset Creation, have been named in Cranfield University’s ‘100 Women to Watch’ list, further showing the company’s commitment to diversity,

Sarah Bentley, Severn Trent’s Chief Customer Officer is a member of the Executive Committee and runs the water and waste network as well as the retail operation and group technology.  She is responsible for the whole customer experience and providing great service to 3.5 million households and over 8 million customers across the Midlands and into Wales.  Jane Simpson, as Head of Asset Creation, oversees 150 engineers in house and 1000 people in the supply chain, and manages £1.2bn worth of investment, including the company’s biggest ever engineering project to secure water supplies for over a million customers in Birmingham.

In 2009, Cranfield School of Management published The 100 Women to Watch. Now in its 8^th year, it aims to highlight the broad and deep female talent pool for UK businesses to draw on, by showcasing different talent and, in so doing, refuting the myth that there is a limited supply of willing and able women to take on board-level accountability in UK listed companies.  This year is not the first time that Severn Trent has been included in the list, in 2016 Bronagh Kennedy, General Counsel and Company Secretary, was one to watch and also in 2014, Liv Garfield, now Severn Trent’s CEO.

Severn Trent has a proud record of diversity, especially female representation, with women making up 44% of Severn Trent’s Board, 60% of the Executive Committee and 27% of the senior leadership team.  In addition, Severn Trent is ranked joint first in the FTSE 100 for female representation at Board level by the Hampton-Alexander review, and has recently reported a mean gender pay gap of just 2.4%, which is well below the national and industry averages.

Liv Garfield, CEO at Severn Trent, said: “I’m delighted that two of our leading women are recognised in the Cranfield University ‘100 Women to Watch’ list.  It’s a real honour to have our colleagues listed alongside so many talented women, and I think it’s important that we have strong female role models like Sarah and Jane.

“Diversity is really important to everyone at Severn Trent and we believe that successful businesses are those that embrace a diverse and inclusive culture that welcomes people from all walks of life.  But we know there’s always more to do in our ambition to go further and deliver more opportunities for everyone.”

Earlier this year, Severn Trent was named in the first-ever Social Mobility Employer Index as one of Britain’s top employers for the actions the company is taking to make sure everyone has the opportunity to find a job and to be promoted, regardless of their gender or background.

Princess Cruises announced today its fourth Royal-class ship will be named Sky Princess. Sky Princess is scheduled to launch in October 2019 on a series of Mediterranean voyages and will be a sister ship to Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess.

The 3,660-passenger vessel will include a number of the signature elements that feature on Royal-class ships. These include:

· A three-deck central Piazza-style atrium · Multiple dining, entertainment and retail venues · A top-deck outdoor “Movie Under the Stars” theatre · 80 percent of all staterooms with balconies · The adults-only Sanctuary · Camp Discovery youth and teen centres · Dining venues including the Salty Dog Grill, Alfredo's Pizzeria, Vines Wine Bar, Chef's Table Lumiere and World Fresh Marketplace

Sky Princess will also include various new innovations with details to be revealed shortly.

Sky Princess' Mediterranean voyages feature 10 departures on eight itineraries, sailing from Barcelona, Rome or Athens.

The first is a seven-day Mediterranean and Adriatic cruise from Athens to Barcelona on October 20, 2019. The voyage can be combined with the following seven-day Barcelona to Rome cruise to form a 14-day Western Mediterranean & Adriatic Medley.

The season will end in November 2019 with a 14-day Spanish Passage from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale, USA, which can be combined with the previous seven-day Mediterranean cruises to form extended 21-day or 28-day Grand Adventure sailings.

Sky Princess' Mediterranean voyages are available to book from December 14, 2017. Princess guests holding Elite status will have the opportunity to secure their booking a day earlier on December 13, 2017.

Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia group president, said: “Sky Princess continues a Princess Cruises legacy and honours one of our previous ships. When Princess merged with Sitmar Cruises in 1988, Sky Princess joined our fleet and sailed with us for 12 years. Now more than 30 years later, a new Sky Princess will join the fleet featuring our modern design platform and contemporary innovations, offered to exceed our guests' expectations.”

18-month-old Daisy Blakeley, from Kingswinford, is set to be the star of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Foundation Trust Annual Christmas Concert.

Taking place at St Martin in the Bullring on Wednesday 13 December at 7pm, the event is set to be bigger and better than ever as it’s the first time the two hospital charities will host the Christmas Concert as a joint initiative.

The event will treat guests to Christmas carols and fundraising festivities for the £2 million Critical Journey’s Appeal - a cause very close to Daisy’s family’s heart.

The Appeal will raise money to kit out four Critical Care Ambulances with the latest, life-saving medical equipment. This will enable the KIDS/NTS service to respond faster and more effectively, helping critically ill patients and their families in the West Midlands get to the right place, at the right time, for the right treatment.

At just seven-months old and following her first trip to see Father Christmas, Daisy began to have breathing difficulties and was later diagnosed with severe bronchiolitis. After reaching the final stage of her treatment she needed an urgent transfer to a different hospital to be ventilated.

Dad, Andrew, remembers: “The KIDS/NTS team arrived very quickly, straight-away we were put at ease and felt totally reassured that Daisy was in the best possible hands. Both of us were able to travel in the ambulance and the team were absolutely fantastic throughout the whole process, they told us what was happening and why.

“As a family, we know without the fantastic support the KIDS/NTS team provided Daisy, she may well not be with us today. We can’t thank them enough for everything they did.”

Daisy’s family have shared their story to help raise awareness of the appeal and Dad, Andrew, will be sharing more of his story on the evening following performances from The School of Theatre Excellence, Signature String Quartet and Benson Community School. Daisy is just one of over 2,000 babies, children and young people moved by the Critical Care Ambulances every year.

Miranda Williams, Public Fundraising Manager at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Daisy and her family to our annual Christmas Concert as their story is at the heart of our Critical Journeys Appeal. The money raised from the concert will transform our vital KIDS/NTS service an advice, stabilisation and transport service dedicated to the management of critically ill babies, children and young people across the West Midlands.

“Our Christmas Concert is a fantastic evening full of festive fun and it’s not too late to get your tickets so come along and join us for yuletide treats and Christmas carols whilst showing your support for the Critical Journeys Appeal.”

City of Wolverhampton Council yesterday (Monday) welcomed representatives from the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to the city.

It was the start of a three-day visit as part of an international exchange programme with Access to Business and the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.

The ten Bulgarian delegates were greeted by the Deputy Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Phil Page, Leader of the Council, Councillor Roger Lawrence, Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, and Managing Director, Keith Ireland, at Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

They heard a presentation on regeneration in the City of Wolverhampton and were also given an overview of the Black Country’s enterprise teams.

The aim of the visit is to exchange experience, good practices and models for promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Rositca Antonova, Shumen Municipality Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, said: “We have had a fantastic welcome and we are really impressed with the regeneration in the City of Wolverhampton.

“We were also surprised by the strength and importance of the Wolverhampton economy to the region and the UK, in terms of manufacturing.

“The organisations in the city also seem well connected in helping young people gain the skills that businesses need.

“It is clear there is strong political leadership and we have learnt many things.”

Councillor Reynolds said: “We were delighted to welcome our visitors from Bulgaria.

“We are always keen to share our knowledge and spread the word about our great city on a global stage.

“This is just one of many international delegations we have welcomed to the city.”

The remainder of the trip will see the Bulgarian delegation visit Black Country Chamber of Commerce, the new University of Wolverhampton Science Park, Black Country Growth Hub, and Access to Business.

Discover the real 'Behind the Scenes' at Blenheim Palace, in a fascinating limited edition tour for 2018. 'Restoration & Conservation' will be the theme of the guided tours which will begin in the New Year as part of the extended opening season experience offered to visitors at the Oxford World Heritage Site.

The 'Restoration & Conservation' tour will be exclusively available from 5th January – 28th February, running twice per day excluding Sundays. The new tours will tie in to the annual deep clean of Blenheim Palace which will now be on full to visitors during this period. The tour will give an in-depth look into what is being done in each of the State Rooms.

Kate Ballenger, House Manager at Blenheim Palace: “Each year, when the Palace is usually closed, the Operations team, accompanied by various specialists, complete the 'deep clean'. This process is much more than just cleaning, it is the careful review of the entire collection followed by a thorough cleaning programme alongside the ongoing conservation and restoration work.

This tour of the Palace gives insights into both the deep clean and the conservation and restoration that is happening at present and has happened in the past.”

The new tours will look at two very important aspects of running a 300 year old Palace, including restoring a piece of art, building or tapestry to its original condition, as well as the preservation and repair of the historical and cultural site and its artefacts. The tour will also examine the theme of renovation, exploring how Blenheim Palace must also modernise and remain as a comfortable family home and appealing to visitors.

From the necessary continuing restoration of the 'Capability' Brown Cascades and Bladon dams, work which will total approximately £2m when completed to keeping the Palace safe for its inhabitants and visitors, the tour will look at which projects are undertaken, when and why.

The fascinating tour will also look at the most impactful projects including The Eyes in 1928. Painted for the 2nd wife of the 9th Duke, Gladys Deacon, these have a great visual impact on visitors. Exposure to the elements over 80 years had caused the painting and plaster work to degrade to a point where they were barely visible.

From clocks to paintings each piece of work often requires specialist and niche attention, with specialists sought from all over the world to complete the painstaking tasks of restoring priceless pieces of history.

The job of cleaning the China collection used to fall to the 10th Duchess and her unfortunate administrator, Archie Illingworth – he used to dread the call, 'Mr Illingworth, today we are going to clean the China!' The Duchess would wash the China and it was Archie's responsibility to dry it.

One of the recent renovations is the Bouchain Tapestry, the priceless 18th century tapestry depicting one of Britain's most important military victories is 25ft wide and almost 15 feet high. The giant wall hanging is made of wool and silk and was woven in the Brussels workshop of the Flemish weaver, Judocus de Vos.

Part of a set of 10, the tapestries are the most accurate and detailed contemporary records that exist of the campaign, not least because the 1st Duke, John Churchill, provided accurate battle plans and portraits of the principal characters. After being painstakingly removed from the walls of the Palace's Second State Room, the tapestry was carefully rolled up before being transported back to the city it was originally created in for renovation. It took a year to completely renovate!

From keeping the rain out, Blenheim Palace has over 7 acres of roof, to protecting ceremonial robes, the Marlborough's Coronation Robes were beginning to deteriorate in the sunlight, there is much to learn and lots of exciting facts to discover.

From a succulent roast dinner with all the trimmings to fruit-laden puddings, cakes and chocolates - not to mention nuts, mince pies and smoked salmon - Christmas Day is all about eating.

And it’s not just as we like to indulge, but our much-loved four-legged family members too. It’s hard to resist slipping them scraps or even their own Christmas dinner from our leftovers, however, we need to be mindful that not everything on the Christmas menu should be shared.

With this in mind, and to give pet owners a helping hand this festive season, insurer MORE TH>N’s qualified vet Andrew Moore has devised the ultimate Christmas dinner guides for cats and dogs, ensuring all the family can join in safely on the fun and the food this year.

Andrew Moore, MORE TH>N’S veterinary consultant, explains: ‘We all overindulge at Christmas, but festive food in human-sized quantities is more no no no than ho ho ho for our pets. Most festive food is fatty, rich and can sometimes even be downright poisonous to cats and dogs. However it’s not all Bah Humbug, there are certain foods that are fine to feed your pet for one festive meal. When it comes to our pets and food, it’s all about moderation - so the one occasion you should act like Scrooge is to keep the festive treats small and then your pet can enjoy their very own Christmas meal this year, without any nasty repurr-cusions.’

Christmas Dinner Guide For Dogs

Starter

FISH: Whilst salmon is a favourite amongst us, humans, it’s also a great starter for your dog as it is high in protein and Omega 3 fatty acids, which help support a dog’s immune system and also add shine to a dog’s coat. Choose plain salmon in spring water over smoked salmon though.  Prawns - as long as they are well cooked and shelled - will also go down very well.

Main

MEAT: Treat your pooch to some turkey this Christmas. Choose small amounts of boneless and skinless breast meat, which can be added to your dog’s meal in moderation. 

VEGETABLES: To bring a bit of variety to their Christmas bowl, add some sprouts, swede mash, potatoes, green beans and parsnip, ideally served plain – before any butter or oil is added. 

Dessert

Pudding is just as important as the main in our opinion and there’s no need to leave your dog out once the dinner is over. Low in lactose desserts like yoghurt and ricotta cheese in moderation are a great option, as they are excellent sources of calcium and protein. You could also swap grapes and raisin-based desserts for blueberries and dried cranberries, which are both safe for dogs.

TOP TIP: Don’t forget to remove a little bit of their normal food to even things out!

Christmas Dinner Guide For Cats

Starter

FISH: Cats too can tuck into a fishy starter with small amounts of canned tuna, which is a great source of protein in moderation 

Main

MEAT: Small amounts of lean meats like skinless turkey breast can add some variety to their moggy menu 

VEGETABLES: Sprouts, swede, carrot and parsnip mash add some colour to their festive feast, but just make sure they don’t contain butter, seasoning or anything toxic such as onions or garlic.

Dessert

Sugar, spice and everything nice hold no interest for a cat, so don’t feel guilty when tucking in to your fourth dessert of the day – cats would much prefer to be eating savoury foods

TOP TIP: Don’t forget to remove a little bit of their normal food to even things out!

It’s not just the Christmas dinner our dogs and cats want to get involved with during the festive season. Andrew Moore’s veterinary team has recalled some funny tales from clients who had to “paws” the festive fun to deal with some pets who took it a step too far during the festive season…

‘I once pulled a very long string of tinsel out of a Labradors throat, which never seemed to end’.

‘A dog ate an entire Christmas cake (seconds after they had drizzled it with brandy and lit it on fire) while it was still engulfed in flames!’.

‘A very small sausage dog came in after eating an entire box of Twilight dark chocolate mints in their wrappers on Boxing Day…three years in a row – setting quite the Christmas tradition for the family’. 

John Ellenger, Head of Pet Insurance MORE TH>N, added: “Eating the Christmas dinner has to be one of the most exciting parts of the festive period, so we wanted to make sure the whole family, including those with four legs, could come together and join in this year. We are, however, aware that there are also a lot of don’ts when it comes to feeding pets over the merry season, so we have also developed guides online with information on what our pets should avoid to ensure trips to the vet are kept to a minimum!’ 

We can’t forget that there’s a number of festive no-no’s that need to be avoided on dogs and cats festive menus this Christmas - the main foods being grapes, raisins, nuts, onions and chocolate.